Hassans Walls and Zig Zag Railway
Hassans Walls and Zig Zag Railway
On the western edge of the Blue Mountains, the escarpment drops away fast. Sandstone cliffs open above the Hartley Valley, revealing a landscape shaped by both nature and human progress. It’s a place you can take in all at once from above, or move through slowly, line by line, from within. This is Hassans Walls and Zig Zag Railway.
Quick Details
Total Length: You can keep the walking to a minimum
Elevation: None that you need to hike
Grade: Fun
Best season: Year round
Suitable for kids: Yes
Zig Zag Railway
As soon as you get out of the car, you’re met with the clank of metal, the creak of timber, the hiss of air brakes, and the gentle puffs of a locomotive — a glimpse into a way of life that’s long since gone. The platform is full of people, young and old, eagerly awaiting the chance to step on board. There’s something so endearing about trains to people of all ages.
Usually the train pulling the carriages is steam powered, but sometimes it’s this old blue diesel engine instead. The carriages are vintage, the pace is unhurried, and everything creaks and rattles in this charming kind of way. If Ringo Starr’s voice suddenly boomed down from the cliffs, calmly narrating the day’s events like in Thomas the Tank Engine, I don’t think anyone would question it honestly…
The train takes off and soon we’re chugging along the track. This section of the mountains is all angles and layers. Sheer walls of rock sit above narrow ledges, and the track threads through them with barely any margin for error. Even sitting still, you’re acutely aware of the terrain — how steep it is, how constrained it is, and how much work it must have taken to carve a railway line through it.
How Was Zig Zag Railway Built?
It was a feat of engineering for its time, built largely by hand using picks, shovels, black powder, and an enormous amount of labour. For decades it played a crucial role in connecting inland NSW with Sydney before being replaced by a more direct alignment.
The Zig Zag was completed in the 1860s to solve a very specific problem: how to get trains down the western side of the Blue Mountains when the grade was simply too steep for a direct descent. The solution was ingenious — instead of going straight down, the track zigged and zagged across the escarpment, using reversals to slowly lose height.
Back to the (Train) Track
As the train moves through tunnels and across cuttings, the views open and close in quick bursts. There’s something grounding about seeing the mountains from this angle. The escarpment doesn’t feel dramatic or distant — it feels solid, worked, and weathered. The cliffs aren’t just scenery; they’re obstacles that had to be negotiated, one careful move at a time.
The train stops at Top Points and Bottom Points. You’re not there for long — just long enough to get off, have the kids run around on the grass for a bit, then reboard to continue the journey.
The whole experience takes around an hour and a half. It’s a fantastic half day out with the family. It’s worth waiting around a little once you get off the train though, just to watch it head off again with the next lot of passengers. If you’re looking to extend the day, we always like to add in a trip up to Hassans Walls afterwards.
Hassans Walls
This is one of those places that feels like it should be busier than it is. You drive through bushland, follow the signs, and suddenly the road just… stops. It’s close to Lithgow, fully accessible by car, and yet often overlooked in favour of bigger-name lookouts closer to Sydney. As much as we love a good hike and a view, we’re also not ones to pass up the opportunity to visit somewhere that involves next to no effort.
After parking the car, you wander down the Sir Joseph Cook boardwalk to the edge of the escarpment. Even before you reach the platform at the end, the views are vast — the hills and farmland beneath you, and the edge of the Blue Mountains beyond.
The platform is large, and there’s a handy signboard in the middle to help you identify the mountain peaks in the distance. Hassans Walls is the highest public view point in the Blue Mountains at around 1100m above sea level.
It’s a fantastic vantage point to watch the sunset. It would probably be good for sunrise too, especially if you came at a time of the year when the sun rises at its most southern point. Then you’d get the sun coming up directly over the mountains which would look amazing.
On Jess’ most recent visit it was for sunset. Golden light spread across the clouds as the shadows got longer in the valley far down below, and the day quietly began to give way to night. One of the great things about lookouts you can drive to is that there’s no long walk back to the car in the dark.
You might notice some old fences and tracks scattered along the cliff line. We suppose these were older lookouts, left to fall to ruin once the current platform was built. It might be tempting to wander out to them, but honestly, the view from the platform is pretty great already — not to mention a safer option.
You may notice on the drive in that there are signs to a couple of other lookouts. We’ve been to Bracey Lookout once before; it looks over Lithgow and isn’t nearly as good as the main lookout. The third lookout involves a bit of walking, but it’s been closed the last few times we’ve been up here.
If you want to stretch your legs and hike up here instead of drive, there are a couple of tracks that come up from Lithgow. We haven’t done them ourselves, so can’t say what they’re like — but we’d recommend having an offline map if you attempt that, because the forest looks pretty dense.
Hassans Cave?
One of the things we love most about Hassans is the narrow doorway through the rock to a small viewing platform. It looks to have been cut into the rock to lead to the small space inside — although who made it, and when, we have no idea.
Inside is a small cave that unfortunately is covered in graffiti, but it still offers another great view over the valley and mountains.
As Hassans is outside the National Park, dogs are welcome. Just be sure to keep them on a leash and bring water — unless it’s been raining enough to leave puddles, you’re unlikely to find any up here.
Sunrise, sunset, or the middle of the day, the view from Hassans is incredible. It’s one of those places you can visit over and over and notice something different each time — although we’ll always have a soft spot for sunset.
Getting There
Zig Zag Railway is at Clarence, just off Bells Line of Road. There’s a large carpark right next to the station. Alternatively, you can reach it by train — details can be found on the Zig Zag Railway website.
Hassans Walls is just outside Lithgow. You can drive to the lookout either from the Hartley side via Hartley Valley Road or Browns Gap Road, or from Lithgow via Hassans Walls Road.
Tips and Tricks
Be sure to book your tickets for Zig Zag in advance. It’s a popular family activity and tickets do sell out.
Trains on the Zig Zag run every second weekend, so be sure to check their website for upcoming dates.
It’s often really windy at Hassans Walls, so be sure to bring a jacket, even if the day is warm.
